Health care leaders talk strategies for war against antibiotic resistance

SACRAMENTO, CAL., Nov. 2, 2002 -- Health care leaders from over
30 states gathered in Sacramento at the weekend, looking for
answers to the national epidemic of antibiotic resistance -- a
growing problem preventing antibiotic medications from working
properly.

The California Medical Association Foundation's project, the
Alliance Working for Antibiotic Resistance Education (AWARE),
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and The Robert
Wood Johnson Foundation hosted a conference of national health care
and consumer leaders to share strategies for keeping medicines
strong for future generations and stopping the inappropriate use of
antibiotics.

"Antibiotic resistance isn't just a state problem, it's a
national epidemic which crosses all state lines," said Rich Besser,
M.D., Medical Director for the CDC National Campaign for
Appropriate Antibiotic Use in the Community. "Working together
toward a common solution is the fastest and most effective way to
reduce antibiotic resistance in our communities."

Antibiotic resistance occurs when bacteria that are not killed
by usual doses of antibiotics multiply and develop a resistance
that even the strongest antibiotics can't fight. This resistance
trend is increasing as consumers find new ways to get antibiotics
they may not need.

In some cases, patients are demanding antibiotics from their
doctors to treat colds or the flu, believing the medicine will help
make them feel better sooner. To save money or avoid seeing their
doctors, some are buying antibiotics at pet stores, purchasing
other people's prescriptions at swap meets, or traveling to Mexico
or Canada where antibiotics are more easily obtained.

Used properly, antibiotics are life-saving treatments, but,
taken when not prescribed they can be toxic and
life-threatening.

"In many cases, unregulated medical care can delay patients from
seeking proper medical treatment which can result in untreated
diseases, health complications and even death," said Joe Silva
M.D., Dean of the U.C. Davis School of Medicine and Chair of the
AWARE coalition. "Deaths caused by these illegal practices are only
expected to grow, and many will be unrecognized or unreported."

Changing consumer behavior about the proper use of antibiotics
is seen as crucial. Conference attendees believed more education
was needed to inform people that antibiotics are only effective
against bacterial infections (bacterial pneumonia, bacterial
sinusitis) and not viral infections (colds, flu). In the meantime,
it is a race against time, as super bugs are growing more resistant
to these once powerful medications.

"We can talk about antibiotic resistance problems until we are
blue in the face," said Jeff Kamil M.D., Vice President and
Corporate Medical Director, Blue Cross of California. "But until
people change their actions and start using antibiotics properly,
these bacteria are going to keep coming back stronger, and soon we
may not have effective medications to treat them."

Throughout the year, projects like AWARE remind consumers about
the appropriate use of antibiotics:

Stay healthy. Wash your hands frequently and wipe hard
surfaces like desks and tables with a disinfecting cleaner
every day to kill most germs.

Finish your antibiotic prescription even if you start to feel
better.

Never share or take leftover antibiotics.

Never use antibiotics for a cold or the flu. They don't
work.

In California, more than one-third of bacterial infections are
already resistant to antibiotics such as penicillin. That means, in
one out of three cases, a prescription for penicillin will not stop
the mutated bacteria.

Since last year's Anthrax scare and the resulting inappropriate
uses of the antibiotic Cipro, physicians around the nation have
started seeing incremental increases in the number of bacterial
infections which are resistant to this last-line-of-defense
category of antibiotics.

The California Medical Association Foundation initiated a
long-term, statewide effort to promote the appropriate use of
antibiotics called, Alliance Working for Antibiotic Resistance
Education (AWARE). AWARE includes physician organizations,
healthcare providers, health systems, health plans, public health
agencies, consumer and community based health organizations,
federal, state and local government representatives and the
pharmaceutical industry.